Bureau and Presidential Committee News Next step in the Assembly reform process 29/06/2018 Bureau Proposals aimed at maintaining, changing or supplementing the rules governing the ratification or challenge of credentials, and participation rights of national delegations, have been referred to PACE’s Rules Committee. More Ad hoc Committee on the role and mission of PACE 13/06/2018 … Read more

  European Conference of Presidents of Parliament The European Conference of Presidents of Parliament brings together Speakers and Presidents of the parliaments of the 47 member States of the Council of Europe; of parliaments enjoying observer and partner for democracy status with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and of international parliamentary assemblies. … Read more

Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs News Rules Committee proposes to strengthen PACE’s decision-making process on credentials and voting 20/09/2018 Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs The Committee on Rules of Procedure proposes to amend some of the Assembly’s Rules on challenges to the credentials of national delegations, including as regards the majorities … Read more

The Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence is composed of parliamentarians, engaged at national level in the fight against violence against women. They belong to delegations of member and observer States with the Parliamentary Assembly, as well as delegations of partners for democracy. The Network has been active since 2006, when it contributed to the … Read more

The parliamentarians who make up PACE come from the national parliaments of the Organisation’s 47 member states. They meet four times a year to discuss topical issues and ask European governments to take initiatives and report back. These parliamentarians speak for the 800 million Europeans who elected them. They broach the issues of their choice, … Read more

  Composition and working methods of committees   Committees are composed of representatives or substitutes of the Assembly. All committees (with the exception of the Committee on the Honouring of obligations and commitments by member states, known as the Monitoring Committee and the Committee of Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs) have an equal … Read more

The Assembly has a framework for ensuring the transparency of its work and the accountability and integrity of its members, in place for many years. This was significantly improved in 2017 and is regularly updated, ensuring that members act in line with the highest ethical standards. The Code of Conduct spells out what is expected … Read more

How are judges of the European Court of Human Rights elected? The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe elects the judges of the European Court of Human Rights, providing them with democratic legitimacy. According to the European Convention on Human Rights, judges must “be of high moral character and possess the qualifications required for … Read more

      Václav Havel Human Rights Prize 2018 awarded to Oyub Titiev Strasbourg, 08.10.2018 – The sixth Václav Havel Human Rights Prize – which honours outstanding civil society action in defence of human rights – has been awarded to the head of the Grozny office of the Memorial Human Rights Center in Chechyna, Oyub … Read more

  The democratic conscience of Greater Europe The Assembly brings together 324 men and women from the parliaments of the Council of Europe’s 47 member states. Though it contains many voices, reflecting political opinion across the continent, its mission is to uphold the shared values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law that … Read more

  The Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, which aims to reward outstanding civil society action in the defence of human rights in Europe and beyond, was launched on 25 March 2013 at a ceremony in Prague (Czech Republic). To be awarded each year by the Assembly, in partnership with the Václav Havel Library and the … Read more

Most of the reports debated in plenary session or at the Standing Committee are prepared by a committee. The nine general committees of the Assembly are the following: Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (AS/Pol) Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (AS/Jur) Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development (AS/Soc) Committee on Migration, … Read more

With the Terrorism: #NoHateNoFear initiative, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe wishes to encourage all players in society to stand firm against the terrorist threat by refusing to give in to hatred or fear. Certainly, terrorism must be combated, but this fight must be waged with due regard for the values which unite … Read more

The Assembly has a framework for ensuring the transparency of its work and the accountability and integrity of its members, in place for many years. This was significantly improved in 2017 and is regularly updated, ensuring that members act in line with the highest ethical standards. The Code of Conduct spells out what is expected … Read more

Observers The Assembly may, on the proposal of the Bureau, grant Observer status to national parliaments of non-member states of the Council of Europe which meet the conditions set out in paragraph 1 of Statutory Resolution (93) 26 of the Committee of Ministers on Observer status. The Assembly shall specify the number of members of … Read more

The committee’s public documents and declarations.   Date Document title 1. Information documents 27/10/2017 AS/Jur/Inf (2017) 04 rev. List of reports and opinions of the Committee 2017 – 2006 17/01/2018 AS/Jur/Inf (2018) 01 Work of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (AS/Jur): an overview 02/11/2018 AS/Jur/Inf (2018) 02 rev 5 Work programme 18/01/2018 … Read more

Created by the Parliamentary Assembly in 1955, the Europe Prize is the highest distinction that can be bestowed on a European town for its actions in the European domain. It consists of a trophy, a medal, a diploma and a scholarship to be spent on a study visit within Europe for young people from the … Read more

  The situation: Europe continues to be faced with unprecedented numbers of migrants seeking protection. Migrant children are the most vulnerable group, whether they are arriving with their families or as unaccompanied minors. A worrying number of them end up in administrative detention as a result of existing immigration laws and policies. In detention facilities … Read more

  European Conference of Presidents of Parliament Strasbourg, France, 15-16 September 2016 The Presidents and Speakers of parliament from the 47 Council of Europe member states and many partner, observer and neighbouring countries, along with the Presidents of other international assemblies, met in Strasbourg on 15 and 16 September 2016 for a European parliamentary summit, … Read more

The Assembly was instrumental in introducing institutionalised parliamentary observation of elections in Europe. Its first initiative was monitoring the electoral process of a state in 1974 in the context of the return of Greece to the Council of Europe. Founded on 5 May 1949 by ten states, in 1989 the Organisation had 23 members.  Since … Read more